Abstract
Young people’s aspirations have been the focus of many educational, sociological and psychological studies. This paper argues, firstly, that the concept of aspirations holds greater generative potential than suggested by the policy-oriented ‘aspiration discourse’. Secondly, drawing on a sociocultural perspective, it is suggested that the processes of imagination and semiotic mediation are key aspects of aspiration articulation and instantiation, yet both concepts have been played down in the aspiration literature. Thirdly, after re-conceptualising aspirations through a sociocultural lens as temporarily stabilised symbolic assemblages, imbued with imagination and developed in anticipation of life transitions, the paper introduces two empirical case studies. The case studies illustrate how sociocultural re-conceptualisation can reveal additional insights about how and why young people assemble particular career aspirations by drawing on available cultural resources. Implications for aspiration research in general and higher education aspiration research in particular are discussed.